• Loading stock data...
Sunday, October 5, 2025
exclusive
Media

Golf Superstar Phil Mickelson Could Shoot For TV Stardom Next

  • Mickelson ‘absolutely’ considering career options, including TV, says business partner Steve Loy.
  • TV networks view ‘Lefty’ as potentially the next great TV golf analyst.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Mickelson could become the next great TV golf analyst.

With his PGA Tour playing career winding down, Mickelson’s representatives have started exploratory talks with interested networks, sources told Front Office Sports.

“Absolutely, we’re always in discussions about Phil’s future,” said Steve Loy, Mickelson’s longtime business partner at SPORTFIVE.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if in the next 12 to 24 months you might see more of Phil on the air.” 

Loy, Mickelson’s agent who is also his former college golf coach and caddy, serves as SPORTFIVE’s president of golf. SPORTFIVE boasts multiple golf clients, including Mickelson, Davis Love III and World No. 2 Jon Rahm. 

The affable Mickelson is one of the world’s most popular athletes. Galleries have long appreciated his friendliness and go-for-broke playing style. 

TV networks view the five-time major winner as a crossover star who could attract both hardcore and casual viewers to staid golf telecasts. Mickelson’s longtime caddy, Jim “Bones” Mackay, previously joined NBC Sports/Golf Channel in 2017.

“He’d be the Tony Romo of golf. This is a no-brainer,” said one TV personality.

A source agreed: “Phil would be the great catch of all [potential] golf analysts. He’s the guy all the networks want.”

CBS Sports and NBC Sports/Golf Channel currently split most of the PGA Tour’s TV rights. But ESPN is also increasing its golf properties. 

ESPN televises the first two rounds of the Masters, where Mickelson won green jackets in 2004, 2006 and 2010. As of 2020, ESPN and ESPN+ also began showing the PGA Championship under an 11-year deal that runs through 2030.

The 50-year-old Mickelson is at something of a crossroads. The golfer nicknamed “Lefty” has piled up 44 PGA Tour wins over his nearly 30 years on the Tour. But it’s getting tougher for the middle-aged Mickelson to compete with younger, long-driving stars like Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau. 

Last year, Mickelson fell out of the Top 50 in the World Golf Ranking, finishing 66th. He’s currently at 89th, in danger of dropping outside the Top 100.

Mickelson already won both his starts on the 50-and-over Champions Tour. But he’s made more headlines as the funny, fast-talking star of all three of Turner Sports’ made-for-TV charity golf events.

Mickelson and “Inside the NBA” star Charles Barkley beat Peyton Manning and Steph Curry at “The Match III” last November. 

TNT’s telecast of The Match II with Mickelson, Manning, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady in May 2020 became the most-watched golf telecast in cable TV history, averaging 5.8 million viewers. 

Jim Nantz

‘Hello, Friends’: ESPN Interested in CBS’s Jim Nantz

CBS Sports Super Bowl LV announcer Jim Nantz is nearing free agency.…
February 3, 2021

Mickelson previously pocketed $9 million for beating Woods during the first Match in November 2018. Their duel went down to the wire, with Mickelson winning in darkness on the fourth playoff hole. SPORTFIVE co-organized all three events.

Mickelson is viewed as a natural for TV. In January, he emceed the American Express Charity Challenge on Golf Channel and PGA Tour Live, amusing the audience with his self-deprecating sense of humor. 

“I’m going to watch and talk smack, which is what I do better than play now,” quipped Mickelson.

During CBS Sports’ coverage of the PGA Championship last year, Mickelson drew rave reviews for his stint in the TV booth with Jim Nantz and Sir Nick Faldo.

Wrote Golf.com: “Mickelson’s hour-plus in the chair was a revelation: he was insightful, honest, funny — everything you could want from a golf broadcaster — and golf fans ate it up, praising the five-time major winner on Twitter.”

Even better, Mickelson connects with a younger audience, boasting nearly 2 million followers across Instagram and Twitter. 

green jacket masters dustin johnson tiger woods

Head-To-Head Against NFL, Masters Falls to Record TV Lows

The Masters Tournament had to compete with the NFL for the first…
November 17, 2020

But could the networks afford Mickelson? His $92 million in career earnings ranks second only to Woods’ $120 million. 

Mickelson is one of the world’s most successful athletic endorsers, touting brands like Callaway Golf, KPMG and Amstel Light. He ranked No. 25 on Forbes’ 2020 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, behind LeBron James, Curry, Woods and Brady — but ahead of Naomi Osaka and Canelo Alvarez.

The World Golf Hall of Famer can potentially make more money in appearance fees overseas than traveling around the U.S. every other weekend as a network golf analyst. 

The lure of TV has attracted other major tournament winners like Faldo at CBS, Johnny Miller and Paul Azinger at NBC, and Curtis Strange at ESPN. 

But the sport’s biggest names like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have eschewed TV in favor of their own multimillion-dollar business empires.

“The networks want Phil — but the price points right now are night and day,” warned another source. “The question is: Can anybody pay him enough? And does he want to call 10 to 20 tournaments a year?”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Cody Campbell

Fox, ABC Reject Ad Accusing Power Conference Commissioners of Greed

Cody Campbell said the ads were pulled after he paid for them.
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Sep 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne (76) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center
exclusive

Dallas Stars Eyeing Possible Move to Plano in 2031

The team needs to figure out where they’ll play starting in 2031.

Featured Today

Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
FARMINGDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe hits out of the rough on the first hole during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York.
September 25, 2025

Ryder Cup in New York: Record-Setting Hopes and Fan Concerns

Organizers anticipate record attendance and revenue, but worry remains about fan behavior.
FARMINGDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Cameron Young of Team USA hits his tee shot on the third hole during the 2025 Ryder Cup Practice Round at Bethpage State Park on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York.
September 23, 2025

U.S. Ryder Cup Players Will Be Paid. Not Everyone Is Pleased

Americans are receiving a $200,000 stipend, and not everyone is pleased.
Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Josh McCray (2) runs against Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green (41) and defensive back Keon Sabb (3) in the second half at Sanford Stadium.
exclusive

College Football Viewership Is Up Double Digits. Here’s Why

Average game viewership is up by more than 10% so far.
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) throws the ball during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Alabama in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, September 27, 2025.
October 1, 2025

Alabama-Georgia Draws 10.4M Viewers, Drives Record CFB Season Pace

ABC drew 10.4 million viewers for Alabama-Georgia.
The NBC Sports broadcast team works Michigan State's football game against Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
October 2, 2025

NBC Sports, Peacock Stay on YouTube TV With Long-Term Deal

The broad-based agreement keeps NBC channels with the key distributor.
Sponsored

How Soccer Star Jozy Altidore Became a Buffalo Bills Owner

Jozy Altidore discusses building a business legacy off the field.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) pulls down a touchdown reception against Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) in the fourth quarter during their football game Sunday, November 13, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
September 24, 2025

Packers-Cowboys Game Is Getting Super Bowl–Like NBC Treatment

The network will bring its pregame show to Dallas.
Sep 18, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) reacts as the Fever defeat the Atlanta Dream during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park.
September 19, 2025

Fever Upset of Dream Brings Ratings Boost to WNBA Semis

The Indiana Fever will face the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.
September 17, 2025

Fever Ratings Fall Without Clark, but Rest of WNBA Game 1s Surge

The Indiana Fever game drew 47% fewer viewers this year.
Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes a reception defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the fourth quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
September 16, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Sets Early NFL TV Ratings Mark

Several new milestones are established with the big early-season matchup.